Hamilton-Wenham Athletics Department offers discounts for user fees

Thursday

Aug 8, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 8, 2013 at 8:13 AM

The bill to play sports at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School will be lower for some this coming school year.

Those paying for three-sport athletes, and those responsible for siblings who compete for at least four teams will get a discount, according to Craig Genualdo, the high school’s second-year athletics director.

Dom Nicastro / Correspondent

The bill to play sports at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School will be lower for some this coming school year.

Those paying for three-sport athletes, and those responsible for siblings who compete for at least four teams will get a discount, according to Craig Genualdo, the high school’s second-year athletics director.

Three-sport athletes won’t have to pay the user’s fee for their third sport (the spring season) but will still be responsible for bill in the fall and winter. In addition, families are off the hook for the fourth team – and any team beyond – that siblings join during the school year. In other words, if brother and sister Jimmy and Jane Doe play for six total teams during the school year, they won’t have to pay for their fourth, fifth and sixth sport.

The district’s decision marks the second straight year it has lowered the cost to play high school sports. After five years of contributing no money to run athletics at the high school, the district agreed to cover 20 percent of the cost last year. It will do the same this school year on top of the discount for three-sport and multiple-sibling athletes. Beginning in 2007, the athletics department had run on 100 percent user’s fees, fundraisers and donations.

“Last year, the district chipped in 20 percent, which was a great start,” said Genualdo, in the second of his three-year, $81,000-per-year contact as the athletics chief. “But we didn’t want that to be the be-all, end-all. We’re very fortunate to have a superintendent and School Committee who understand this.”

Genualdo hopes the latest discounts encourage more three-sport athletes. Genualdo said he’s heard more than a few stories of student-athletes opting not to play multiple sports because of money.

“I believe this will create more three-sport athletes,” Genualdo said. “The proof will be in the pudding. I’m curious to see if it happens.”

Last year, the high school had 86 three-sport athletes and 192 two-sport athletes. In all, 461 students played a sport out of 696 students in the high school’s four grades, or a rate of 66.2 percent. According to 2011-2012 numbers, an additional 35 families over the 86 three-sport athletes would benefit from the multiple-sibling discount.

The budget for Fiscal Year 2014 for athletics is about $300,000, according to the district figures. Fundraising and donations will continue to offset the costs to play sports at Hamilton-Wenham. In 2008, it cost $969 to play football. That fee is down nearly $300 this fall.